Le Cafe Voltaire - Aix-en-Provence

How is this place still open? I wish I had read the reviews first. I agree with ALL the negative reviews I have just read. Our waiter (Dr Jeckell) treated us with disdain, but was all smiles with the female customer at the next table. He practically through the food and cutlery on the table. The steak was tough, the duck breast was dry and awful (not sure it was even duck). It was supposed to come with dauphinoise potatoes, but instead came with chips and salad. The salad was three lettuce leaves and a cherry tomato, no dressing. The tiramisu was tiny, salty and had no coffee flavor, served in a small cup for 9 Euro! The worst meal we have had in France “served” by the rudest waiter. It was like being in an episode of Fawlty Towers, but we weren’t laughing. I asked if they had a wine list, he said no, but other people were ordering bottles of wine. Do not go to this “restaurant”. As a previous reviewers said… I wished we’d walked out and I’m still fuming!!!! This is also my first negative review on trip advisor.

We came here as a family for an early evening meal, before the cafe became busy. We waited a very long time for anyone to ask if we wanted a drink or to take our order. We asked for a plain burger for our son who has autism, a regular burger for our daughter and an entrecôte for both myself and my wife. The food quality was average at best. The steak cuts were poor. No cutlery was provided until our food had been on the table for at least 5 minutes. Unfortunately my sons burger had cheese and sauce on it despite asking for it to be plain. We had to send it back, after which we were essentially ignored and our meals not cleaned away until after our pudding arrived. Overall a very poor experience. Probably our fault for going to a restaurant on the tourist trap strip. My first negative review of a restaurant. I come to France at least 6 times a year and am used to a wide variety of restaurants from local village eateries to Michelin starred restaurants. This is the worst place I have ever been to. They simply don’t care about their customers.

I used to live in Aix en Provence, and I know a tourist trap when I see one. This was, unfortunately, an experience that was a result of poor planning on my part, desperation for a French dinner, and not willing to drop a lot of money on dinner. The appetizer was fine but the main course left much to be desired. We all had ordered the steak and fries, and maybe we should have known better. It was tough, flavourless, and a generally miserable waste of an animal's life. I'm going to suggest that there may have been better food somewhere in the restaurant, but if you're there, have the wines and maybe the appetizer, for your French fill, and move on.

What a nice surprise! We dine in this unusual place, surrounded by books, with a pleasant atmosphere music. The kitchen is very good: magret, burger, crumble. The toilet, on the other hand, left to be desired clean.

I recommend this home restaurant and original personal decoration welcoming and very good smiling dish